


i want you (to color me blue)

by idontremember



Category: Percy Jackson and the Olympians - Rick Riordan, The Heroes of Olympus - Rick Riordan
Genre: First Kiss, Love, M/M, Pining, kiss
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-05
Updated: 2019-05-05
Packaged: 2020-02-26 01:12:16
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,069
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18713470
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/idontremember/pseuds/idontremember
Summary: Looking at Will is like, for lack of a better simile, looking directly into the sun. Look too long, and you’ll get burned. Or, Nico will, at least.





	i want you (to color me blue)

Nico can’t pinpoint exactly when it starts, when the sting of loving Percy for so long fades into the distance, a mere dot on the horizon. It’s most likely a multitude of factors: his new friends at camp, the threat of the war gone. Or perhaps his feelings fade somewhere in between blue eyes and freckled shoulders. All he knows is that he can look at Percy without feeling the particular tug in his heart, the wrenching pain and shame at his unnatural feelings. It’s nice, he thinks, to be free of something that’s held you down for so long. 

“Nico, dude, you’ve got to come down to the lake,” says Jason, sprinting up to the Hades table. He’s out of breath, flushed, and smiles like he has a secret. Nico looks up at him, unimpressed. Jason tends to get over excited about things, while Nico prefers to keep his excitement locked down in a closed off part of his heart. Huh, maybe he is a bit goth. “Seriously, I’m not kidding. Will and Annabeth are doing some boat racing activity and Percy’s flipping his shit.”

Nico tries to ignore the quickening in his heart when Will Solace is mentioned- he’s got to try and get that under control. He’s tired of crushing on unattainable boys and Solace is the most unobtainable of them all. Hell, he couldn’t be more different from Nico- he’s all sunshine and love and bright smiles and blue eyes that flash when the sun hits them and oh, a perfect smattering of freckles across his cheekbones. Fuck, so much for not thinking about him.

“I’ll come down,” says Nico, oh so casually, “but only to see Percy freaking out.” Jason laughs delightedly and grabs Nico’s arm, hauling him down to the lake. Nico can hear the distant cheers of campers and splashing of paddles in the water. 

The two demigods reach the edge of the lake and join Percy, who barely notices them as they arrive. He’s hollering across the water, cheering Annabeth on, and Nico suspects they may be a bit of foul play going on when a wave comes out of nowhere and smacks the front of Will’s boat. He couldn’t care less, though, as he is focused on Will himself, who is paddling shirtless. Nico’s mouth dries as Will pushes the paddle through the water, his tanned forearms flexing slightly.

The race ends, with Annabeth the gracious winner, and the excitement dies down. The competitors return to shore, where only Nico, Percy and Jason are left. Percy’s looking at Annabeth in a way that once would have torn into Nico’s soul, but now he feels only a slight ache, more of a habit. He’s happy for them, now, he really is. 

“Nice job, Annabeth,” says Jason, patting her arm. “You too, Solace.” Will laughs.

“Thanks, Jason,” replies Will, grabbing his discarded shirt and pulling it on over his head. Nico forces himself to look away. Jason gives him a sidelong look and glances at Percy, who nods slightly. Before Nico can ask what they think they’re doing, Percy takes Annabeth’s hand and they walk off, Jason trailing behind them. Great, now he’s left with Will, who looks infuriatingly good with his hair all wet and messy. Nico clears his throat.

“You proud of me, Nico?” asks Will. “I gave her a pretty good race.”

“Uh, yeah,” says Nico, cursing his brain because he doesn’t know what else to say. And then Will smiles at him, his trademark grin, and it’s just so, so bright that Nico has to look away. Looking at Will is like, for lack of a better simile, looking directly into the sun. Look too long, and you’ll get burned. Or, Nico will, at least. When he looks back at Will, he thinks he can see the hint of a blush along his cheeks.

“Nico, I was wondering if, well…” Will falters, stretching the last syllable out. Nico wonders, for a moment, if Will could be asking him out. A warm feeling makes its way to his chest. But Will looks away from him, as if he’s searching for something behind him, and Nico realizes what an idiot he is. Whatever Will’s looking for, it’s not Nico. He feels an emptiness replacing the warm, glowy feeling as he remembers a door slamming, cold words thrown in his face. Freak. Unnatural. 

“I have to go,” mutters Nico. He leaves before Will can say anything and shatter his heart.

__________________________________________________________________________

 

Ironically enough, given Nico’s history, it’s Annabeth who finds him sitting outside his cabin, hunched over and brooding. She sits next to him without a word, and waits a few minutes before she says something.

“You like Will, don’t you.” It catches Nico off guard, how she phrases it as a statement. Annabeth’s always been that way, he figures, direct and insightful. It’s a shame how he spent so many years resenting her for the hold she had on Percy. Maybe it’s this thought that causes him to say what he says next.

“Yes. I mean, yeah. I do.” He doesn’t know why he says it, but it feels good to get it out, to admit it. Annabeth smiles softly, and Nico realizes that he should be freaking out right now, but he feels an odd sense of calm.

“You know it’s ok, right?” asks Annabeth. “We’re all okay with it. I mean, nowadays, there’s pride rallies and everything. It’s not as bad as it used to be.” 

Nico looks up at her, and suddenly he is drowning. He’s back in time and someone’s found out, somehow, that he likes boys, that he thinks about kissing his best friend. He’s alone and scared and 11 years old, unsure and lost. He hears the laughter of his peers over his sobs as they shove him down and push him into a storage closet, a blindfold over his eyes. He remembers how it felt to lie alone for hours, nothing but his own breath to keep him company. 

“Nico, are you okay? Nico?” He feels tears sting his eyes.

“I’m, no, I’m not okay. I was, well, someone at my old school, before the Lotus and everything, they found out that I like boys and they didn’t react so well. It’s hard for me to get it, that people are really okay with it now.” Annabeth reaches towards him, then hesitates.

“I’m going to give you a hug. Is that alright?” He nods and relaxes into her arms, feeling oddly safe there. “I’m so sorry you had to go through that. You deserve to be happy, you really do. And I know you don’t feel like you fit in here, or anywhere, but there are people here that care about you. You made the right decision to stay, but now you have to go a step further and let us in.” He nods into her hair, too overwhelmed to say anything. But he knows that she understands. “And Nico?”

“Yeah?”

“If this means anything to you, Will looks at you the same way you look at him.” Annabeth gives him a knowing glance, her gaze seeming to know everything.

__________________________________________________________________________

 

Nico wants to believe Annabeth, but he knows that he’ll never be brave enough to approach Will like that. Just the thought of asking him out makes Nico blush furiously, which he knows is not a good look on him. He makes his way to dinner slowly, pausing every couple of seconds. When he gets to his usual, solitary table, he is surprised (or maybe not so surprised) to see Will Solace’s face peering back at him.

“W-Will, what are you doing here?” He bites down on his bottom lip, causing Nico’s mind to go to places they really shouldn’t.

“You always eat alone here, Death Boy. I figured I’d keep you company.” Nico begins sputtering, and Will interjects. “Don’t worry, Chiron says it’s ok.” As if that’s what Nico was worried about. He sits anyways, too nervous to argue. Will’s eyes are piercing as he looks at Nico from across the table.

“Why’d you run away from me, by the lake?” Asks Will, looking truly curious. 

“Um, I just, uh, forgot I had to do something. With Annabeth.”

“Well, I was going to ask you if you wanted to come stargazing with me tonight.” Nico’s brain short-circuits. Stargazing. With Will. That was- wasn’t it romantic? Something couples do together? 

“Sure, I guess,” replies Nico after a second, a beat of panic. Will grins at him, again, there, that smile. It could convince him to do anything, probably. Will brushes his hair out of his eyes, but it falls back down over his forehead, and Nico wants nothing more than to brush it back again and meet his lips, slowly. But of course, he doesn’t. He can’t.

__________________________________________________________________________

 

Nico meets Will by his cabin. The son of Apollo is wearing a black hoodie and jeans, an outfit Nico has never considered to be attractive. But Will more than makes it work. He’s glad that it’s dark so Will can’t see the blush painting his cheeks. They make their way up to a small clearing.

“What if we get caught?” Nico whispers. Will turns to him.

“We won’t. I’ll make sure of it.”

“And how are you planning to do that?”

“I guess you’ll have to wait and see, Mr. Di Angelo.”

Is it? Nico wants it to be, but he can’t tell. Are they flirting? He runs a hand through his hair, nervous. Will comes to a stop and brings out a picnic blanket. He spreads it out on the ground, smoothing down the corners

“You came prepared, huh?” Will hesitates.

“Yeah, I, um, is that weird?”

“No, no,” says Nico quickly, laughing slightly. “It’s good to be prepared. Oh god, no, I didn’t mean like that.” Will chuckles, his voice throaty and deep. It’s a nice sound. Really nice. Nico may or may not enjoy it far too much.

They sit on the blanket next to each other, far apart at first, but then Will shifts and presses his arm against Nico, and wow, what a feeling. Nico’s body is electric, every nerve feeling Will pressed against him. It’s so maddening and wonderful at the same time, and Nico moves to speak up before he loses his nerve, because he has to know, just has to. Before he can, Will shifts his body so that his face is facing Nico’s, and Nico forgets how to speak because this boy is everything, just everything he’s ever wanted and needed. He swears he can see something in Will’s eyes, the same desire he’s felt for weeks. He leans in, astounded at his own bravery. He doesn’t know how, or why, but he lets go of what he’s felt before and presses their noses together.

Will inhales, a sharp breath, and Nico knows that it’s the time, now, he just has a few more inches. It’s scary how much effort it takes for him. He can see and sense that Will wants it too, but those last few inches might as well be miles for how hard they are to cross. He’s steeling himself, ready for the jump, when Will leans in and captures his lips.

It’s everything at once, everything Nico’s ever seen and felt. It’s colors exploding into each other, fireworks, with just the soft pressure of Will’s lips. And then those lips part, just slightly, and Nico damn near loses his mind. Their tongues dance, mingling and pressing into each other, a perfect pressure. Nico bites Will’s lip and he lets out a soft moan, which Nico immediately wants to hear again and again and yet again. Will’s face is warm to the touch, a glowing pleasure. Will places his hands on Nico’s face and gently, gently, pulls their lips apart and draws Nico into his arms. 

They don’t talk. There will be conversations, of course, in the future. Nico will have to tell him about the bullying, about his reservations, about everything. But they don’t speak and they don’t need to. Somehow, Nico knows that Will is content, like him, to lie under the stars. And Nico loves the feeling of Will’s warm arms around him.

(Later, they will laugh about their cliche first kiss, but they will both keep the memory of that perfect night tucked into their hearts).

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first fanfic, I hope you enjoyed! <3


End file.
